Best Summer Jobs For Students 2024

If you’ve just finished uni for the summer, you may be looking for a temporary summer job to earn some extra cash now that you have more free time away from studying. 

Summer is the perfect time for students to build up some savings or simply fund your summer plans, whether that’s travelling abroad or going to your favourite festivals.

Here are some of the best summer jobs for students in 2024…

What are the best summer jobs for students?

Retail

It may seem like an obvious one, but working in retail really is ideal for students, especially during the summer months when you can increase your hours and put in some extra shifts. 

The main benefits of retail work are:

• Generally sociable hours (depending on the retailer)

• Competitive pay

• Improves your customer service and problem solving skills

Best of all, if you work for a chain, you may be able to transfer stores and request part-time hours if you’ll be moving back to university in September, meaning you don’t necessarily have to quit when summer is over. 

When it comes to specifically which retailers are the best to work for, Business Mondays found that Swedish home furnishings retailer IKEA was voted the best based on employee reviews, with Lush, Ocado and Homesense coming next. 

In terms of which retailers pay the best, Retail Gazette suggests that Tesco, ASDA, Aldi, Sainsburys and Currys pay shop floor workers the most per hour.   

Festival worker 

This one is a little more unconventional but not one to overlook! 

If you’re a festival lover but can’t splash out on tickets this year, why not work at them instead?

You can either search for paid roles or take advantage of the festival volunteer opportunities that many events offer, which will typically see you bag yourself a free pass to the festival in exchange for voluntarily working certain hours across the week/weekend. 

The volunteer schemes may not be great if you’re in need of cash, but if you’re looking for ways to get into a festival for free, this should be at the top of your list!

Some of the benefits of festival work include:

• You usually get to experience the festival for free outside of your working hours, and even whilst working you may get to see some acts perform! 

• Great way to meet new people and socialise with other likeminded festival fans

• You’ll gain skills in everything from customer service to bartending depending on the type of role you apply for

Freelancing

If you want to travel throughout the summer and you’re looking for a job that doesn’t require you to be in one place working set hours, freelancing could be the answer. 

If you have the skills to be a freelancer, this is undoubtedly one of the best summer jobs for students and something you can continue to do throughout university if you’re able to manage your time. 

Whether you’re a skilled copywriter, graphic designer or videographer, there will be a freelance gig for you. 

Check out some of the most popular freelancing websites such as Upwork, Fiverr, Designhill and We Work Remotely as well as the likes of LinkedIn and Indeed to find a freelance project that suits you. 

Some of the benefits of freelancing include: 

• You can work from anywhere in the world, which is extremely desirable for students looking to travel during the summer

• You manage your own workload and set your own working hours

• You can choose to take on short-term or long-term projects and can set your own rate of pay 

Working holiday

This is another exciting option for a summer job and is a great way to combine both work and travel! 

Whether you fancy a month in Ibiza as a holiday rep or have been dreaming of teaching English as a foreign language in Vietnam, there are tons of opportunities to work abroad during the summer. 

You might even want to try a cultural exchange programme such as Camp America - the options are endless! 

The benefits of working abroad include:

• You’ll gain a lot of independence and responsibility

• You’ll get to experience a new culture and meet new people

• You may learn a new language 

• You get to temporarily live abroad whilst working

Pet walking/sitting

There’s no job quite as dreamy as being paid to look after somebody’s pets, especially if you’re an animal lover. 

If you’re looking for ways to make money quickly, why not try asking friends, neighbours and acquaintances whether they need anybody for pet walking or sitting duties?

Summer is a busy time of year for pet sitters, with many pet owners booking holidays abroad and needing somebody to look after their beloved companions whilst they’re away. 

You can check out specific pet sitting platforms such as Care.com, Trusted Housesitters and Cat in a Flat to find pet sitting opportunities.

The benefits of pet walking/sitting include:

• You get paid to take care of cute animals - what could be better than that?!

• You can set your rate of pay 

• You can choose your own work schedule 

Best summer jobs for students 2024

Hopefully you're feeling inspired to find your perfect summer job, but if not, check out our guide to the best side hustles for students for other great ways to earn money whilst studying.

And remember, no matter how you choose to spend your summer, you can continue to get the best student discounts on everything from travel and fashion to technology and entertainment with TOTUM.